Constraints Faced by Farmers in Using Social Media for Agricultural Information in Kanpur
Saurabh Singh
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, CSAUAT, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
H. C. Singh
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, CSAUAT, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Leena Sharnagat
Dairy Extension Division, ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India.
Tanu Priya
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, ANDUAT, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Dileep Vyas
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, CSAUAT, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Rahul Kumar
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, CSAUAT, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Virendra Pratap *
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, CSAUAT, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: This study identified the major constraints experienced by farmers in using social media for agricultural information and to document their suggestions for improving digital agricultural extension services.
Study Design: An ex post facto research design was adopted.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Bilhaur block of Kanpur Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, India, during 2023–2024.
Methodology: A total of 120 smartphone-owning farmers were selected through simple random sampling from six villages of Bilhaur block. Primary data were collected through personal interviews using a structured and pre-tested interview schedule. The data were analysed using frequency, percentage, and rank-order techniques to identify the major constraints faced by farmers and their suggestions for improving the utilisation of social media for agricultural information.
Results: The major constraints reported by farmers were lack of training on the use of social media (92.50%), language and cultural barriers (87.50%), low educational level (84.16%), lack of technical knowledge (81.66%), lack of trust in adopting social media (79.16%), and poor network connectivity (75.83%). Among the suggestions, ensuring a reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply (92.50%), improving village-level network connectivity (82.50%), providing financial support (80.00%), providing agricultural information in Hindi and other regional languages (75.83%), and providing training to improve farmers’ understanding of social media (75.83%) were the most frequently suggested measures.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that farmers’ effective utilisation of social media for agricultural information is influenced by educational, technical, infrastructural, economic, language-related, and institutional constraints. Improving rural digital infrastructure, providing practical training, ensuring reliable electricity and network connectivity, providing agricultural information in Hindi and other regional languages, and strengthening linkages with agricultural extension services may help improve the effectiveness of social media as a complementary agricultural extension channel.
Keywords: Social media, digital agricultural extension, constraints, digital divide, digital literacy